In recent years, a great number contents, i.e., moving images, have been distributed at Internet sites such as YouTube and so forth, for example, besides content distributed by television broadcasting. Therefore, the importance of a technique enabling users to readily recognize the outline of (what is in) contents, so that a user who views and listens to contents can determine whether or not each content is worth viewing and listening to, has grown.
As for a technique for recognizing the outline of a content, there is a method for displaying the thumbnail of the content.
As for a method for displaying the thumbnail of a content, for example, there is a method for detecting a predetermined frame such as a frame for every fixed interval or the like, of an image of the content, generating a thumbnail by reducing the frame thereof, and displaying this.
Also, as for a method for displaying the thumbnail of a content, for example, there is a method for detecting switching between a commercial and the actual program (program listed in the TV section of a newspaper), switching between a person or object in an image, or the like as a scene change, generating a thumbnail by reducing the frame immediately after the scene change thereof, and displaying this (e.g., see PTL 1).
Further, as for a method for displaying the thumbnail of a content, there is a method for generating a thumbnail by reducing an image representing, in increments of titles, the title (content) thereof, and displaying this (e.g., see PTL 2).
Note that, with the method for displaying the thumbnail of a frame for every fixed interval of the image of a content, similar thumbnail images may consecutively be displayed.
Also, with the method for detecting as a scene change, and displaying the thumbnail of a frame immediately after the scene change thereof, there is a need to prepare for an algorithm for detecting, for each scene change to be detected, the scene change thereof.
Specifically, for example, in order to detect switching between a commercial and the actual program as a scene change, there is a need to prepare for a scene change detecting algorithm to that end, and in order to detect switching between a person and an object in an image as a scene change, there is also a need to prepare for a scene change detecting algorithm to that end.
Further, with the method for displaying a thumbnail in increments of titles, it may be difficult to recognize the outline of a content just by the thumbnail in increments of titles.